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Justice Kwasi Anin Yeboah, a justice of the Supreme Court, in Accra last Monday at the swearing-in of five new members of the National Media Commission (NMC) decried the upsurge of telenovelas on television channels in the country.

He stated that the dumping of telenovelas and the decline of standards on Ghana’s screens deserve urgent attention.

According to the justice of the apex court, the voice-overs in the local languages increase the insidious appeal for such films in the country.

They are Editor, Daily Searchlight Newspaper Ken Agyei Kuranchie, MP for Adenta Yaw Boaben Asamoah, Director of Newspaper Publications at the Graphic Communications Group Yaw Boadu“ Ayeboafoh, and Professor Audrey Gadzekpo of the University of Ghana. The fifth person, Kwame Ayimadu, representing parliament, was absent. 

Justice Anin Yeboah said another issue of grave concern was the unrestricted advertisement of alcohol backed by sexually explicit pictures and messages in the media.

"The damage all this inflicts on the moral centre of the youth in particular is incalculable," Justice Anin Yeboah stated.

"In this respect ,article 164 of the Constitution which imposes national security, national morality and public order restrictions on the media begs for strict enforcement."

The judge indicated that it cannot be overstated that the early passage of the Broadcasting Bill will strengthen the content monitoring and regulation of the electronic media.

Justice Anin Yeboah tasked the NMC to enforce diligently the regulatory powers with which it is already clothed in order to inject a semblance "of sanity and decency in sections of the media"

The Supreme court judge said "it is sad that these regulations remain paper tigers” while professional excesses and ethical misconduct assume alarming proportions.

He was optimist the expertise, knowledge and semblance of the new members would be brought to bear on the operations of the commission and the media industry as a whole.

Nana Kwasi Gyan Apenteng, Chairman of the NMC, in an address, said the NMC is the poorest cousin of all the institutions created by the 1992 4 Constitution.

He stated that the NMC has no permanent office while only a fraction of its budget allocation is often provided. The NMC chairman said allowances of members are usually several months in arrears while salaries of the staff need urgent review.‘

Professor Gadzekpo said the members are committed to the oath of office they had taken and the responsibility handed them.

She pointed out that the members are pleased to be part of the already very impressive commission“ ~ Professor Gadzekpo said the media is crucial to
Ghana’s democratic survival.

Others members on the commissions are Richard Quashigah, National Democratic Congress (NDC) MP for Keta Constituency Dr Doris Yaa Dartey, representative of the Ghana Journalists’ Association.